Canada being a democracy, the Canadian people are getting and expressing viewpoints on the Middle East that differ substantially from the government's weird position. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East is a grassroots organization that is seeking to promote a just peace in the Middle East by providing the Canadian people with information that the (generally) one-sided media fail to acknowledge. Independent Jewish Voices are pursuing the same objective in keeping with Jewish values of fairness and compassion. CJPME has hailed the motion to recognize Palestinians' right to self-determination and to establish their own state that has been passed by Quebec's National Assembly. This was done unanimously, the first time in 25 years that such unanimity was shown by the Quebec National Assembly. The organization also invited prominent Palestinian leader Dr. Mustafa Barghouti to speak in three cities, to explain the Palestinian viewpoint and answer questions. He urged Canadians to help promote a just peace in the Middle East. Dr. Barghouti prodded Canadians to help end “the worst apartheid in history” and “the worst human oppression.” He spoke calmly but narrated a sad story: • Ethnic cleansing in 1948 displaced half of Palestinians. • Six million Palestinians cannot even visit their homes or homeland. • Israel's 45-year-old occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is the longest military occupation in history. • Since 1947 about 750,000 Palestinians have been jailed by Israel. • Forty-two percent of Palestine's population has been imprisoned for varying periods of time. • There are now 4,000 Palestinian prisoners and some have been in jail longer than Nelson Mandela was. • The apartheid wall and 640 military checkpoints make daily life a harrowing ordeal for most Palestinians. • Forty thousand Palestinians have been totally cut off from the world and 300,000 Palestinians are stuck behind the apartheid wall. • Israel commits unprecedented violations of Palestinian human rights. • Israel uses horrible weapons such as napalm and phosphorus bombs against defenseless civilians. • Muslims and Christians are jailed if they use the roads built exclusively for Jews in the occupied territories. Dr. Barghouti stressed that Palestinians owned more than 90 percent of Palestinian land when the United Nations established Israel in 1948. Now the Palestinians have been reduced to just 20 percent of the land and Israel is reducing that every day through illegal settlements. He stated that Israel does so because of US military, diplomatic and economic support, the one-sided reporting of the Western media and the international community's indifference to the Palestinian people's ongoing sufferings. The Palestinian leader added, however, that the Palestinians will never give up peaceful resistance and that they are now getting support from sympathizers from abroad and also from those Israelis who believe in justice and human rights for all the people. Dr. Barghouti declared that Israel has launched unprovoked attacks on Palestinians in recent years largely to boost the election chances of Israeli extremists. He stated that the Palestinians went to the United Nations because there is no end in sight to Israel's ruthless occupation; Israel has been committing heinous violations of Palestinians' basic rights and the 20 years of negotiations have shown that the talks are just a cover for Israel grabbing more Palestinian land and imposing more illegal settlers on occupied territory. He stated that though the vote at the UN showed 138 in favor of Palestine's entry and only nine opposed—mostly by tiny US dependencies—the “yes” votes represented the will of more than 95 percent of the world's population. CJPME also enabled Dr. Barghouti to meet members of Parliament and other influential Canadians. He also spoke at universities and was interviewed by the CBC and some papers while many in the media ignored his visit. Several Jewish organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace and Independent Jewish Voices also have been urging Canadians to promote a just peace in the Middle East. Amir Terkel, who described himself as “a Jewish Israeli and veteran,” urged people to sign a letter asking President Barack Obama to make aid to Israel contingent on it not being used to target civilians. He described his experiences during the recent conflict in an e-mail. He said his family sought shelter in safe areas when Israel was hit by rockets from Gaza, but that the Gazans had nowhere to go to escape huge bombs killing them and destroying their homes and buildings. Diana Ralph, a member of the steering committee of the Independent Jewish Voices, explained that IJV is a national organization that promotes a just resolution to the Middle East through the application of international law and respect for the human rights of all parties. IJV has chapters in eight Canadian cities and is active in promoting justice, including the campaign to boycott the products of illegal settlements. These organizations are doing their best to restore Canada's past reputation for promoting human rights, justice and peace for all people.
– Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan is a retired Canadian journalist, civil servant and refugee judge. He has received the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario and the Queen's Diamond and Golden Jubilee awards
